The sun beat down through the canopy as silence settled again. The strange, half-suspicious standoff between the pirates and the camouflaged figure was finally starting to shift.
from within the 'bush' stood a young man—his figure lean, athletic, and alert. Not bulky, not lanky, but something in-between—clearly someone who moved fast and hit hard if needed.
He wore forest green camouflage pants, slightly scuffed from use, tucked into worn boots. A sturdy belt hugged his waist, loaded with small pouches and a standard flintlock pistol holstered at his hip. A combat knife sat comfortably in a sheathe, and spare rounds were slotted into loops across the leather.
His upper body was covered by a sleeveless, tactical-style camouflage shirt that hugged his torso, toned and battle-tested. A green bandana wrapped around his forehead, holding back hair under a matching hat with a short brim that kept the sun out of his sharp eyes. A large, tightly packed backpack was strapped securely on his back—clearly a survivalist, prepared for anything.
But none of that was what drew their attention first.
It was his nose.
Long. Straight. Impossible to miss. Sticking out from his otherwise sharply defined features like the prow of a ship.
Nami blinked. "Seriously?! First Buggy, now this guy?!"
He didn't smile. He didn't scowl. He just stared at them—calm, alert, unreadable.
"The only reason I'm out here talking to you and not watching you dangle from five different trees is because of your stupidity," he said evenly, eyes flicking from Luffy to Nami, then settling briefly on Zoro. "Maybe that's not the worst thing."
He adjusted his stance slightly.
"You can't lie to a liar. Not well. But that guy?" He nodded toward Luffy. "That kind of idiot? They don't fake anything. They don't know how. You can smell the honesty on guys like him. It's weird. It's unsettling. It's real."
He turned his gaze on Zoro.
Their eyes locked. No smile. No challenge. Just a look.
You called me out. I'm here now. So what are you going to do about it?
Zoro didn't flinch. But he didn't speak either.
It was Luffy who groaned, still swinging. "Uuugh! Guys, I'm still upside down…"
The camouflaged figure sighed.
In one fluid motion—so fast the eye barely caught it—he reached into his backpack, pulled out a thin throwing knife, and flicked it.
THWIP.
The rope above Luffy snapped.
"WAUGH—!!" Luffy crashed into the sand, grinning even as he faceplanted.
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
Fast. That throw had taken less than a second—and it had sliced the rope clean through with no wind-up, no wasted motion.
This guy wasn't just some trap-setting bush-man. He was dangerous.
The young man holstered his knife, dusted off his gloved hands, and said simply:
"The name's Usopp. And I've got rules for y'all."
Luffy dusted himself off, grinning from ear to ear despite the sand stuck to his face.
Across from him, Usopp adjusted the strap of his backpack and let his gaze sweep across the trio. His long nose didn't twitch, his stance didn't shift. But his eyes were sharp, unwavering.
"Let's get something straight," he said finally, voice flat but firm. "There are rules."
Nami crossed her arms with a skeptical look, while Zoro shifted slightly, never taking his eyes off the newcomer.
"The folks here don't have the time—or patience—for stranger shenanigans."
Usopp didn't pause.
"One: If you go into the village, you act like decent people. That means you pay for what you want. Food? Lodging? Supplies? You handle it clean. No threats, no funny business."
He took a step forward, kicking some loose leaves from his boots. "Two: You don't scare the villagers. You don't rob them. You don't even accidentally lay a finger on them."
His tone dropped.
"Because if even a scratch shows up on anyone in this village—" he reached up and tapped the hilt of the gun strapped to his belt "—being tied up in rope will be the last thing you have to worry about."
Zoro's eyes narrowed.
"You threatening us?" he asked, voice like steel being drawn.
Usopp locked eyes with him without hesitation.
"No," he said calmly. "I'm inviting you."
He cracked his neck. "But go ahead. Try me. I kinda want to find out how it ends, too."
The forest air tightened with tension. Even the breeze felt like it was holding its breath.
But—
"I'm in!" Luffy said with a big, dopey grin, raising one hand like a schoolboy who hadn't read the question.
Usopp blinked.
Zoro sighed while Nami groaned.
"We're not here to hurt anyone," Luffy continued. "We just want some food! …Oh! And maybe a ship! You got a ship?"
Usopp exhaled through his nose and shook his head. "No ship. This place is too small. Doesn't have the materials."
Luffy's shoulders slumped. "Awww, really? That's a bummer…"
"Obviously," Nami muttered.
Usopp gave her a side glance, but she was already launching into a small lecture.
"A ship isn't just a big toy. It's trade. It's travel. And that means infrastructure and investment," she said, voice sharp, arms crossed like a merchant on a mission. "Even if you had the wood, you'd still need people to handle it. Skilled labor—shipwrights. And trust me, good shipwrights don't work for breadcrumbs."
She pointed at the village in the distance. "This is a tiny island economy. Probably relies on housing wood, fishing, maybe some local trade. No way they've got the setup to build a seaworthy vessel, let alone something that can handle open ocean. Let alone the Grand Line."
Usopp nodded faintly. "Yeah you summed up everything, you know your stuff."
"Of course I do," she muttered, annoyed. "Shipwrights in the Grand Line are said to make fortunes daily. Some of the best are so skilled they could build floating mansions and nobody would bat an eye. Do you have any idea how much money that is…?"
She trailed off, jealousy radiating like heat off her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Luffy… was deep in thought.
And that—that—was the most worrying thing of all.
He stood there, head tilted slightly, as if listening to something no one else could hear. His eyes weren't glazed, but they weren't exactly sharp either.
Zoro noticed it.
"…Captain?"
Luffy didn't answer.
Nami frowned. "What's with him?"
Usopp raised a brow but said nothing. He just watched. Calculating.
Luffy's brow furrowed.
"Usopp…" he muttered. "Usopp… Usopp…"
He scratched the back of his head, then his face lit up like someone turned on a lantern in his skull.
"USOPP!!"
Usopp jolted, slightly taken aback.
"That name!" Luffy shouted, pointing at him, eyes wide with wonder. "I know that name!"
Zoro blinked. "Wait, what?"
"You're Yassop's kid, right?!"
The clearing went silent.
Usopp's neutral, tight-lipped expression cracked just a little. His brow twitched. Confusion flooded his face.
"…What?" he said slowly.
"How the hell would you know that?" he asked, his voice quieter now, genuinely startled.
Then realization started to creep into his expression. The math was running in his head now. Straw hat. That big, dumb smile. The weird kind of idiot who somehow said the exact truth without even realizing it.
"…Unless," Usopp murmured, narrowing his eyes.
"You met my pops?"
The question didn't come with suspicion or hostility. Just disbelief. Something between a child's wonder and a man's need to know.